The Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, was on Wednesday morning taken to Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, and within hours had been sent to prison.

Melaye was conveyed in an ambulance by the police authorities and was shortly thereafter charged before a Lokoja Chief Magistrate Court, on a stretcher.

The Senator was first taken to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office in the north-central state under the guard of armed policemen.

He was thereafter taken into the court premises in an ambulance amidst heavy security, arraigned on charges of gun running and ordered to be remanded in prison till June 11, 2018.

According to the police, Melaye is being arraigned for an alleged criminal conspiracy, causing damage to government property, attempted suicide and escape from lawful custody.

The Senator’s arraignment today follows his discharge from the National Hospital after he was confirmed fit for trial.

The Senator landed in the National Hospital after he jumped out of a moving police vehicle on April 24 while being conveyed to Kogi State.

He was also said to have resisted a further attempt by the police to re-arrest him with the help of some persons who allegedly threatened to injure the police officers if they tried to arrest him.

Earlier, the lawmaker had survived an attempt made by the Independent National Electoral Commission to facilitate his recall after the verified signatories to the petition for his recall fell short of requirements.

Saturday’s event climaxed a victory for the embattled Senator following the inability of the signatories to meet the requirements.

For the verification exercise to succeed, 50 per cent, plus one of the signatories to the petition had to be verified.

However, based on the results announced by Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti, the Declaration Officer for the exercise held in the senatorial district, indicated that only 18,742 of the 189,870 of the signatories to the petition for the Senator’s recall were verified by INEC.

•Additional reports by Channels TV, Daily Trust and Daily Sun.

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